Maybe it is my imagination but there seems to be far fewer carp being caught on particle baits these days. At the peak of their popularity in the past a great many carp anglers were using a particle bait of some kind, but recently many club and private carp waters have introduced particle bans and this may account for the fall in their popularity.
I believe that the main reason for the decrease in the popularity of particle baits is the growth of the bait industry and the ready availability of really top class ready-mades, boilie-making ingredients, base mixes, flavors and attractors. Nowadays it is possible to make a wide variety of superb boiled baits and, quite simply, particles have become less effective. There is no shadow of doubt in my mind that boilies catch more fish, catch bigger fish and do them good at the same time.
Apart from using a few kilos of cooked maize from time to time when fishing in France, I have not used a particle bait for nearly ten years and quite frankly I doubt if I shall be tempted to do so again. The use of mass baits, pellets, ball pellets and groundbaits in conjunction with well formulated boilies is a far more effective method of catching carp than the use of particle baits.
Frankly I am pleased that the widespread use of particles has lost its popularity. Particles are poor food baits that do the carp little good and I believe that it is important that we, as anglers, give back a little to our quarry in the form of decent, nutritional food baits that compensate them in part for the stress we impose by catching them.
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